A treasure from Paris! My friend, Diana, recently returned from a much-longed-for trip to Paris and she toured the city with my book, Paris:Delight in the City of Light, in hand!
When I met up with her to look at her photos and hear about her trip, she presented me with this glorious box of macarons from Laduree! Is that a friend, or what? I am just tickled. I brought them home, took this photo and ate the pale green pistachio one on the spot!
The limited edition box is to commemorate the 2012 French Open and says "Laduree pour Roland Garros," which means "Laduree for the French Open." I just love the shocking green box and knew immediately that I would display it with my The Vert tea set by Villeroy and Boch. Does it look perfect there?
Happy May Day! In France, May 1st is the only day that anyone can sell
lily of the valley bouquets on the streets of Paris without taxation. Lots of enterprising people take to the streets and offer sweet smelling arrangements to passers by. All day you will see men,
women and children carrying little bunches of muguet du bois around the
city. The custom is to give a bouquet as a sign of appreciation or love. It would truly be a "moment of delight" to receive a bouquet from someone, don't you think?
When I was in Paris on May Day one year, I took this photograph of the May Day-inspired window at Laduree. You can see bunches of lily of the valley, and if you look closely, you'll see that the packaging also highlights this bloom. It must have been a limited edition candle or home fragrance. I just love the mint and lavender packaging and their signature macaron "trees."
I wish you a happy and flower-filled May Day!
You know by now that I am "vase crazy." Anything that holds water is fair game for flowers - and why not? A flower arrangement can spark a conversation as well as anything, and I think the ability to take the moment beyond reciting the flower variety is gold.
(But for the record: David Austin English Rose "Abraham Darby"; Trailing Verbena "Lanai Peach", Stock "Vintage Mix")
Sometimes the "story" of your unusual vase can be particularly compelling. This treasure was originally a jar of raspberry jam from one of my favorite places in Paris, the restaurant and patisserie Laduree.
When the last sticky drop of jam was consumed, I washed out the jar and covered the outside with contact paper to protect the label. It has been two years now and the vase looks as good as the day I covered it. So the message of this post is two-fold.
1) Use unusual containers to enhance a simple bouquet.
2) Buy jars of honey or jam on vacation and let the memory of your trip live on.
I think it is important to have goals. So in my swagger of preparation, I announced that I was going to eat a pastry at Laduree every afternoon while I was in Paris. As you might suspect, there are always too many pastries and not enough time. However, I was able to spend a lovely afternoon at Laduree with my church friend, Margaret and her sister, Sue. The two sisters were vacationing in Paris together (what memories!) and I was able to join them for tea and a little shopping.This magnificent dessert is called Ispahan and is described as "rose petal cream on a rose-flavored macaroon biscuit with fresh raspberries and lychee."As a photographer, I chose it strictly on looks (who wouldn't want a pink dessert?) and it was delicious. Yes, that is a real rose petal on top and when grown properly, they are edible. Yum!
